All about leopard geckos

A BACKGROUND INTO LEOPARD GECKOS 

Leopard geckos are one of the most early and primitive forms of gecko. They belong to the Eubleparidae subfamily. This means that that they are terrestrial animals i.e. they live on the ground rather than in trees or in houses.

One of their most recognized characteristics is their moveable eyelids. Notice how the lower lid moves up, instead of both lids moving, or the upper lid moving down. That gives their eyes their popular hypnotic quality.

They originated from parts of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan, even reaching into the north-west part of India. The conditions can be harsh in these areas, with a lot of wind, including fierce whirlwinds, intense heat and lack of water.

Because of the fierce heat and conditions in their native habitat, leopard geckos are used to sleeping mostly in the day to avoid the heat, and sheltering under rocks, stones or ledges.

They like to eat small insects and worms. Of course these days you can buy food for them, even frozen mealworms and such like.

How did leopard geckos get their name? I've written an amusing post about that. Have a search on this blog for def leppard!

Hope this gives you a starter introduction to these wonderful reptile pets. Although leopard geckos may not strike you as the most obvious pet to have at first glance, I think it's easy to start to fall for their striking looks and vibrant personalities. Leopard gecko care is relatively easy too compared to bigger, hungrier and more needy reptile pets so it's a good first choice for a child or as a first pet.

To your gecko success!
GGG